"Well, Linda, I guess I can't tell you a whole lot without naming people."
"So, start naming. I heard there was a fight."
"No, and not much of an argument either. They were having coffee when Towson decided my brother was there for some sinister reason. When Towson unexpectedly pounded his fist on the counter demanding an explanation, Raymond dropped his cup in surprise. Towson told him to get out. Which he did."
"Not bad, maybe I can use some of that. You see the mystery to me is why he was there in the first place. What time did he leave?"
"Around noon. You didn't happen to see the crime scene, did you?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. Fascinating to be standing where an old acquaintance was just murdered. I'd just talked with him earlier that day. What can I tell you? His place was a large three-bedroom and study. He was shot in the master bedroom literally with his pants down, they told me. CSI had already removed his body by the time I got there. I could see the blood stains on that gorgeous wood floor. The king-sized bed wasn't made, and the bedding was on the floor. They let me peek around. The rest of his place was tidy."
"You wrote that his aide and the maintenance man discovered the body. Since he was shot in late afternoon, doesn't the unmade bed seem significant to you?"
"You talk like a detective. What do you do in Philadelphia?"
Sandy told her and then asked, "Was he having an affair?"
"I'm sure he had them but he kept that private. I was just covering his gubernatorial campaign. Maybe I should have been more interested in identifying his bed partners."
"Maybe you should start digging. Every lover is a possible suspect in my mind. Lovers always quarrel, Linda."
"If I ever get one, I'll remember that."
"I understand the Tampa gambling interests wanted the senator out of the way."
"Out of the way and dead are two different things."
"How about his neighbor, Mrs. Crawford? Did you know she saw people coming and going that afternoon? One was a woman."
"Hey! Now you're talking." Linda reached over and patted Sandy's hand. "Who's your source?"
"Unnamed police source. But that's it, I don't know if she identified the woman."
"That's fine, that fits. One cop securing the crime scene told me a woman was seen leaving the building around five. He didn't have the description, except he heard she had a red and blue scarf over her head as if hiding her face. I'll bet it was that Mrs. Crawford who told them that. I talked to the M.E., and he says the murderer could be a woman...small weapon, standing back, low angle, and two shots. A man would step in and keep pulling the trigger just to hear those amusing little bangs."